1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to portable storage systems for cups and beverage coolers.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of drink coolers are used, for example, at sporting events to refresh large numbers of people. These coolers hold varying amounts of liquid, often between three and ten gallons. Typically, someone wishing to get a drink uses a spigot located near the bottom of the cooler and fills a cup with whatever drink is currently in the cooler. These coolers are ideal for large groups, such as athletic teams.
Because such coolers are not generally designed for individual use, cups are needed for whoever wants to get a drink. One issue with serving a large number of people in this fashion is that a large number of cups must be available. Because these coolers are often used outdoors, such as on a sports field, many times no convenient location is available to store a large number of cups. In these situations, cups may be placed on a makeshift table, a bench or on top of the cooler where they are likely to be knocked down either by people or by the wind in outdoor environments. When cups are stacked upside down on such a table, someone trying to remove a cup from the top often accidentally removes multiple cups. This can be an inefficient use of cups and may be unsanitary when one person is handling a cup that will later be used by another person.
To reduce these problems, several cup-holding systems have been designed to work in conjunction with these large coolers. One example is a sleeve solution, which comprises a large cylinder that attaches to the side of a cooler and may be filled with cups. Cups are then pulled out from the bottom of the sleeve when someone wants a drink. This solution is fairly cumbersome and has a tendency to deform the cups when they are removed. Moreover, most of the coolers that have sleeves attached have these types of devices attached during manufacturing. Generally, the attachment is such that it cannot be used to retro-fit an existing cooler that does not have a cup dispensing apparatus or system.
Another solution is a cap coupled to or fitted on top of the lid of the large cooler. The cap system is designed to hold approximately a dozen filled cups on the top of the cooler. Some of these systems are also convenient in that the cap can be removed and used as a tray. However, such systems do not allow for the storage of a large number of cups as commonly used at, for example, a sporting event. Additionally, such a system is inconvenient to transfer with either empty or full cups along with the large beverage coolers, because these systems are designed to be moved without cups loaded when moving the cooler as well.
Moreover, one commonly used cooler has a large diameter lid that is positioned at the top of the cooler. The large diameter lid is helpful as it can be easily removed and large quantities of ice can be added through an opening that is generally the same size as the diameter of the container. By placing a cap or the like on the lid, the cap complicates removal of the lid to add ice or to refill the container. Since the cap is rather bulky and the cups are generally positioned on the top surface of the cap, removal of the cap often results in spilling of filled cups or cups being knocked to the ground.
Thus, there is a need for a cup holding system that overcomes the limitations of prior solutions. It is desirable that such a system be easy to use without wasting a number of cups and to be sanitary. In addition, such a system should be cost effective and not excessively cumbersome.